The invention relates to skimmers for use in cleaning debris located at or near the surface of a liquid. In particular, the invention is useful as a pool skimmer for cleaning debris located at or near the surface of water contained within a swimming pool.
Most swimming pools have automatic skimming capability in the form of a front-end filter associated with a pump that circulates the pool water. By its nature, automatic surface debris collection occurs only when debris randomly floats by the filter opening. Since outdoor pools are constantly exposed to all airbourne debris, there is usually some amount of floating debris on the surface at any one time. To quickly and thoroughly clean the surface of a swimming pool prior to its use, a manual device must be employed. A number of such devices have been developed in the art for dealing with pool debris. The most common device for manually removing debris at or near the surface of swimming pools is a basket with a screen or net attached to the end of a pole. A net frame, to provide an opening for these screens is typically parallel to the plane or direction of the pole and the attached screen or net may be shallow or relatively deep, depending on the desired capacity. These devices have no floatation and are operated by manipulating the attached pole to capture debris through the opening of the attached screen or net device. The most common of these devices have openings ranging from one to one and a half square feet and require many passes through the water to remove and clean the upper area of a typical swimming pool. Since these devices have no floatation and must be manually cantilevered out, into the pool and passed up, down and side to side through the water, operator fatigue and back strain are common. The farther a conventional skimmer gets from the operator, the harder those devices are to operate, and fatigue and back strain are more severe.
Some conventional skimming devices are larger and include floatation, enabling the devices to be towed or dragged by a tether about the surface of the water, thereby eliminating the cantilever forces on the operator's body. Since these devices must still be manipulated in a lateral fashion at the end of a long attached pole and since they're larger and offer increased drag, operator fatigue and back strain are still common.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,495, issued to Harding, provides one form of conventional skimmer that includes floatation. Harding's pool skimmer is designed to be pulled in only one direction. If Harding's pool skimmer is flipped over, it will no longer be fully operational, as designed. Also, Harding's pool skimmer can not quickly reverse direction in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner. Such an attempt would risk fouling its long, trailing net and also the liklihood of release of captured debris would be high. And, finally, Harding's skimmer offers no convenient means of capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,060, issued to Brennan, provides another form of conventional pool skimmer that includes floatation. Like Harding's skimmer. Brennan's pool skimmer can not quickly reverse direction in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner. Such an attempt would include the likelihood of release of captured debris. Finally, Brennan's skimmer offers no convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,085, issued to Platt, provides a similar form of conventional pool skimmer that also includes floatation. Platt describes his skimmer as “omni-directional” and “operated in any direction reqardless of orientation,” but the skimmer's tether has to be lifted through a one-hundred-eighty degree are to guide its opening to face the opposite direction, or be slowly turned one hundred eighty degrees to operate in the opposite direction. Like Harding's and Brennan's pool skimmers. Platt's pool skimmer can not quickly reverse direction in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner. Such an attempt would risk fouling its long, trailing net and also the likelihood of release of captured debris would be high. Finally, Platt's skimmer offers no convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,410, issued to Lambert, provides a simple net attached to the end of a pole and containing removeable floatation elements. Even though the floats mitigate back-straining, cantilevered motion, it must still be manuipulated side-to-side and lifted frequently from the water for frequently cleaning. Like Harding's, Brennan's and Platt's pool skimmers. Lambert's pool skimmer can not quickly reverse direction in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner. Such an attempt would include the high likelihood of release of captured debris. Finally, Lambert's skimmer offers no convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,383,374, issued to Splendorio, provides a simple net on a buoyent, articulating arm, which is, in turn, attached to a pole. This skimmer, with its angled handle, places a twisting load on the attached pole during its use. Like Harding's, Brennan's, Platt's and Lambert's pool skimmers. Splendorio's pool skimmer can not quickly reverse direction in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner. Such an attempt would include the high likelihood of release of captured debris. Spendorio's skimmer offers no convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,419, issued to MacDonald, provides a deep net, attached to a pole and with brush bristles protruding laterally outwardly from the side surface of the frame. Because of the drag created by the many brush bristles, this skimmer requires substantial force to be applied, as it's manually manipulated from side-to-side and vertically through the water. MacDonald's pool skimmer offers no means to be operated in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner, nor was is designed to quickly reverse direction. While MacDonald's skimmer offers a means of dislodging debris very close along the vertical side of the pool, it must be manipulated through the water to subsequently capture the loosened debris.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,001, issued to Yagoda, provides an enlarged skimmer with a buoyancy component including a frame. The geometry between skimmer net end and the attached handle places a twisting load on the handle during its use. Yagoda's pool skimmer offers no means to be operated in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner. Yagoda's skimmer functions in one direction only and offers no convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,858, issued to Soto, provides a device for cleaning a body of water by passing an elongated net having a C-shaped cross section over the surface and slightly immersed in the water. While this device contains a wheel to facilitate movement along the deck adjacent to the pool, the complicated geometry between the skimmer and the handle assembly requires the operator to keep both the fore-and-aft angle of attack and vertical alignment of the net with the surface of the water within a narrow range. Soto's pool skimmer offers no means to be operated in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner. Also, Soto's skimmer functions in one direction only and offers no convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,487, issued to Soich, provides a skimming device for a swimming pool that includes an elongated rectangular frame having a screen extending within the area bounded by the frame. The skimmer is operated via a telescoping handle. This device amounts to a simple rectangular net connected to a handle. It contains no floatation and must be manually cantilevered out, into the pool and passed up, down and side to side through water, causing operator fatigue and back strain. Soich's pool skimmer offers no means to be operated in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner. Also, Soich's skimmer functions in one direction only and offers no convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,058, issued to Fisher, provides an in-pool skimmer for maintaining large area swimming pools and demarcated swimming areas free of offensive floating debris. In place of traditional perimeter operation of a pool skimmer, the in-pool skimmer floats within the pool and is directed by an operator either walking behind or swimming behind the skimmer, guiding the skimmer with its convenient handles. This skimmer must be guided by an operator in the water with the skimmer and is intended for very large pools or demarcted swimming areas. Fischer's pool skimmer offers no means to be operated in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner. While it contains floatation and retains captured debris when left unattended, it functions in one direction only. Filcher as skimmer is not intended for use in a conventional swimming pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,135, issued to MacPhee, provides for a net for removing debris, mounted on a frame which is extendable across the width of a swimming pool. This device must be operated by two people and is intended to clean a pool with one pass of the net along the pool's length. The vertical sides of the net are held away from the vertical side of the pool by rounded or ball-type elements to facilitate its travel and prevent damage to the pool sides. There is no means for conveniently retaining all captured debris as the device is removed from the water, so follow-up cleaning may be necessary with a small, conventional skimmer net. MacPhee's pool skimmer offers no means to be operated in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner. Finally, MacPhee's skimmer offers no convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,604, issued to Kirchoff, provides for one, or more, skimming baskets to be attached to an elongated pole and operated in a manual fashion as to pass the skimming baskets laterally through the water near the pool surface. One embodiment of the device requires two operators, one on each side of the pool. Kirchool's pool skimmer offers no means to be operated in a speedy, loose-gripped, one-handed manner, nor does it offer a convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,842, issued to Jarrett, provides for a pool skimmer having an elongated, floating barrier constructed of a plurality of rigid, elongated floats disposed in end-to-end relation and covered by flexible netting, one end of the barrier having a member for anchoring the one end in engagement with the wall of a swimming pool and the other end of the barrier having manually graspable members for engaging the other end with the wall and for traversing the other end around the wall so that the barrier sweeps the pool surface and collects floating material, such as oil. This device seems to be optimized for the removal of oil from the surface of the water and not the convenient removal of floating debris. In fact, it is substantially inconvenient by its nature. It must be unpacked from its case and deployed across a pool for use then removed, cleaned, folded and stored. Jarrett's pool skimmer offers no means to be operated in a loose-gripped, one-handed manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,878, issued to Benvenuto, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,184, issued to Veillet, are typical of numerous passive devices that attach to the side of a swimming pool and collect debris as it floats by, driven either by the wind or a current created by the pump-driven filtration system. Passive skimmers, such as these, work only over long periods of time, during which, more debris accumulates by natural means on the pool surface. As a passive device. Benvento's pool skimmer offers no means to be operated in a speedy, loose-gripped, one-handed manner, nor does it offer a convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,411, issued to Lempio, is an example of a free-floating passive device. It requires long periods of time to randomly collect floating debris, which, more debris accumulates by natural means of the pool surface. As a passive device, Lempio's pool skimmer offers no means to be operated in a speedy, loose-gripped, one-handed manner, nor does it offer a convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,728, issued to Weiss, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,622, issued to Newcombe-Bond, are typical of automatic skimming devices that function in conjunction with existing pump-driven filtration system in most pools. They also require long periods of time to randomly collect floating debris, during which more debris accumulates by natural means on the pool surface. As unattended automatic devices. Weiss + and Newcombe-Bond's pool skimmers offer no means to be operated in a speedy, loose-gripped, one-handed manner, nor do they offer a convenient means for capturing debris floating very close by or adhering to the vertical side of the pool.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a floating surface skimmer, which is multi-directional in nature i.e., it can collect floating debris whether it's pushed away from the operator or pulled toward the operator.
It is an object of this invention to provide a floating surface skimmer a portion of which swivels relative to the surface of a body of liquid, to provide multi-directional skimming without changing location of the operator.
It is further object of the invention to provide a floating surface skimmer, which is easily operated in a loose-gripped, push-pull fashion only and does not require strenuous cantilevered lifting or side-to-side manipulation.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a surface skimmer, which is capable of also collecting debris floating very close by, or adhering to the vertical side of a pool.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a surface skimmer, which contains floatation elements within the perimeter of the device, leaving the entire outside of the perimeter free for debris collecting functions.
It is further object of the invention to provide a surface skimmer with a range of operation limited only by the length of the attached pole.